The Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC) takes place in April each year and lasts for two to three days. It’s a forum where members can raise subjects for debate that will influence the UK Council’s policy plans for the Society, and also debate and vote on topical issues affecting the profession and/or its members.

Each Regional Committee and National Council sends a delegation to ADC. Delegates are elected within the constituency. The equality network (Equalise) and the UK Council of the Society of Radiographers may also submit motions for debate.

Student members are welcome to join the delegation. It’s important for the organisation that students become involved and influence decisions at all levels. Involvement in the organisation would also look good on your CV!

For information on how to attend ADC, please contact Tanya Sinclair TanyaS@sor.org for details.

Follow us on Twitter

We have our own Twitter account which we use to let you know about the latest news that has been posted on our website regarding the radiography profession, issues affecting students and government policy which will impact on the healthcare service. This is a great way to keep right up-to-date.

Social networking netiquette

Society and College of Radiographers members, whether they are students or qualified radiographers, should be aware that there are risks with using social networking sites, not least the opportunity for fraudsters to use any personal information to steal identities or gain access to confidential information.

One area that has been highlighted recently is the number of cases concerning the publication of libellous material included in individual accounts. Some of these cases have arisen as a result of unscrupulous interrogation of published material by journalists who then put this into print.

In some areas employers are banning the use of social networking sites and bringing disciplinary proceedings against individuals as a result of misuse of employer time at work and any damage to the integrity of employees or the business that may arise from comments made online.

It is particularly important that patient confidentiality be maintained, and that comments on social media do not allow identification of your workplace or the identity of patients in your care. This includes images, which are the property of the hospital and part of the patient record. Sharing such images, even without patient identification, can risk breaching the Data Protection Act 1998.

Student members should be aware of the risks involved in participating in online social networking and not be openly critical of peers, clinical mentors/supervisors, lecturing staff, universities, potential employers and members of the profession and other professions. By so doing, the writer could be at risk of legal action for libel and breach of contract and may compromise the chances of future employment in both the public and private sector. This could potentially be referred to the HCPC and even result in termination of your SoR membership. You should always consider your comments in light of any potential damage to your professional reputation.

Students should also take particular care themselves not to (deliberately or inadvertently) bring the SoR into disrepute through confidential details being mentioned on the Internet. Where networks are used to share ideas or ask advice, it is important that personal details of members or third parties are not published.Some general netiquette rules:

Avoid negativity, especially with feelings and anything about other people;

Control privacy setting each time you post something, sharing ‘Only with Friends’ most of the time;

Check details of ‘Groups’ and ‘Fan Pages’ before you join, especially for authenticity;

Go through your profile and make adjustments to make your profile suit your Netiquette rules;

If you do “inappropriate” things on social networking sites, go back and delete it to minimise visibility and damage;

Don’t get caught up in other people’s inappropriate behaviour, stick to your Netiquette and update it as needed;

Consider your comments in light of any potential damage to your professional reputation;

Treat your profile and activity like an informal CV or media image of yourself, because it is!

Attend conferences and events

Attendance at conferences and other events is a great way to learn more about the radiography profession. This will also enhance your CV, so that you stand out from the crowd when you attend interviews for jobs in the future and strengthen your application for a particular post.

Students are very welcome to attend any of the conferences and events organised by the Society and College of Radiographers. Places for student registrants are subsidised and substantially cheaper than for other participants, with free exhibition entrance. For further information on all the events available, please visit the CoR events page We also recommend you look for external radiography events to attend to further your knowledge and introduce you to new ideas. One very popular event is the UK Radiological Congress (UKRC), which is a three-day multidisciplinary congress covering all aspects of diagnostic imaging and oncology, as well as radiology informatics and service delivery. It’s the leading and largest diagnostic imaging event in the UK, with over 3000 delegates and visitors, a comprehensive exhibition with the latest in current and emerging technologies, a huge variety of lectures and seminars from prestigious international speakers, CPD opportunities; including hands-on workshops, talks delivered by high-profile speakers and accredited education on the stands. There is a reduced entrance fee for students, which makes this an event to really think about attending. For more information visit www.ukrc.org.uk/

In addition, we encourage you to attend the United Kingdom Radiotherapy and Oncology Congress (UKRO) http://www.ukro.org.uk/ which is held every two years. What a great way to see the latest advances in the radiotherapy profession. Please note that for 2016 both UKRC and UKRO will run together.

Both events provide opportunities for students to present short papers. The Forder Memorial Award is presented for the best paper proffered by a student at the UKRC. The award is given in memory of a founder of the SoR and member of the first Council of the Society.

In some universities, students organise their own study days, sharing their experiences and knowledge, and inviting guest speakers. These are usually open to students from neighbouring universities. These events offer you excellent networking opportunities within your region or country. Who knows where these opportunities may lead in the future? Check out what’s on in your region and register yourself for upcoming events.

Annual student conference

Each year we hold a Society of Radiographers Student Conference. The conference is arranged specifically for students and provides an opportunity for you to network with other students from across the UK and learn more about key areas of the profession.

Attendance at this Student Conference is highly subsidised to make it as affordable as possible and encourage student member attendance. Our presenters are prominent members of the profession and students themselves. Look out for the opportunity to attend.

Join special interest groups and networks

The Society supports, and is supported by, a large number of member groups and networks. These range from traditional clinical interest and occupational groups to our equality and diversity group.

Students are encouraged to get involved with any of our special interest groups and networks.

One of our popular networks is ‘Equalise’ which provides a support mechanism for members on equality and diversity issues and campaigns/lobbies on issues of concern for members. To become more proactive in the Society and promote equality in the workplace, why not join Equalise today? Find out more about the different groups and networks available and how you can join them or use them as sources of information, development and support.

Student of the Year Award

We are delighted to be able to offer the Student of the Year Award, which runs alongside the annual event for full members. The aim of the award is to honour an undergraduate therapeutic student and a diagnostic student who exemplify the best of the profession’s values, as well as highlighting the students’ accomplishments whilst in a formal educational setting. This includes excellent academic and clinical achievement, together with outstanding contribution as an individual to student life and/or the university.

TheStudent of the Year award varies from year to year depending upon sponsorship. Winners receive publicity in Synergy News and StudentTalk, as well as in the local, regional and national media. One of the highlights is attending the presentation of the awards, which take place at the House of Commons in November each year.

Look on our website in spring time for nominations for the awards. A student may be nominated for the Student of the Year award by their course team, clinical placement staff, or peers. However, all nominations must be made through the student’s Higher Education Institution, with additional endorsement by their clinical placement. Watch out, you could be the next winner!

SoR Work the World competition

Work the World is one of the leading companies providing healthcare elective placements in Africa, Asia and South America. They employ an experienced and knowledgeable team in their UK head office, as well as in each of their overseas destinations, providing students with a 24/7 support network and lots of advice and guidance, both before an elective placement and whilst students are away. They make sure student placements are efficiently organised and match the individual student’s interests, and also sort all in-country logistics, which can be difficult for student to arrange independently.

The Society and College of Radiographers has been working in partnership with Work the World to provide elective placements for both diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy students. They can now provide placements in Peru, Ghana, Tanzania, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Please visit www.worktheworld.co.uk/ for more information.

In recent years we have run a competition in partnership with Work the World, whereby a lucky student member of the Society and College of Radiographers is able to explore a new world of radiography abroad. The competition prize is an international elective placement of up to four weeks to be taken between 1 January and 31 December in the year following the competition. Included in the prize is UK and overseas support, meals, accommodation, flights, any required preliminary medical requirements such as innoculations, and professional indemnity insurance.

Applicants are required to submit a 500 word essay outlining their reasons for wishing to participate and what they hope to gain from the experience.

The winners are chosen on their commitment to taking full advantage of the opportunity the international elective placement offers and are not based on academic merit. Make sure you keep an eye out for the competition!

Publish your assignments

During your radiography training, you will produce many great assignments and dissertations which are the end results of many hours of research and writing. Instead of just binning them when you receive your assignment and dissertation results, why not think about trying to get your best pieces of work published? We not only publish qualified members’ work, we are also interested in publishing students’ work and over the last few years there has been an increased number of publications from students. It’s an excellent way to make your CV stand out from others and to demonstrate your commitment to the profession.

If you have something you think you make be able to publish, but are not sure how to go about it, please contact the editor of Synergy, Melanie Armstrong, editorial@itpmagazine.co.uk who will be happy to provide you with help and advice.